Mechanical telegraph-sounder



-J. B. GLOPTO'N; V Mechanical Telegraph Sounder.

No. 229,095, Patented June 22,1880,

ATTORNEYS.

PETERS. FHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER, wnsHmGToN D O UNITED STATES JOHN B. OLOPTON,

PATENT OFFIC OF ELGIN, TEXAS.

MECHANICAL TELEGRAPH-SOUNDER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 229,095, dated June 22, 1880,

Application filed November 14, 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN B. OLoPToN, of Elgin, in the county of Bastrop and State of Texas, have invented a new and Improved Mechanical Telegraph-Sounder, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to furnish an instrument adapted for the use of learners for practicing the manipulation of a telegraph finger-key, and to construct such instrument in a simple and convenient form for sounding without the use of a battery.

My invention consists in a sounder wherein a finger-lever an d soundin g-lever are combined. together with a spring in such manner that the action is very delicate and sensitive and produces a sharp clear sound.

The construction will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of the instrument, partially in section. Fig. .2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a section showing the manner of pivoting the sounding-lever to the post.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The instrument is to be made of a size suitable for carrying in the pocket or hand, and adapted for sitting upon a table or other con venient place, and will be mounted on a solid or hollow stand or base, a, to increase the sound.

Upon the base a, near one end, is attached an arm or post, Z), of spring-steel, projecting upward, which arm is the fulcrum of the fin gerlever 0. Near the other end of base a is fixed a post, d, which is the fulcrum of the sounding-lever e.

f is a staple fixed in base (0, against which the lever e strikes in its downward movement, and g is z. screw-plug in the lever a, for arrest ing the upward movement of lever e. The lever c is provided with a button, 0, at its moving end.

The post d, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3, is grooved in a vertical direction to receive the end of lever e, and grooved or nicked crosswise to receive the knife-edge pivots 1 1,

that project at each side of lever e.

The lever c is formed with a slotted lug or project-ion, 2, that sits over the lever e, which lug is slotted crosswise to receive the knifeedge pivots 1, whereby the said pivots 1 and lever e are held between the post cl and lug 2.

The finger-lever c is held to the spring-post b by a pointed lug, 3, on I) entering the end of c, as shown; or it may be attached and held in any other suitable manner whereby the spring-arm b will exert its tension to retain the parts in place.

The pivots 1 are arranged so that the bearing on the lug 2' is above the bearing on post d or, in other words, aline drawn through both knife-edges would pass above the pivot 3 of arm 11, whereby the tension of spring I) is exerted to raise the moving end of soundinglever e.

To operate the instrument, the knob 0 will be pressed down, which action throws the outer, end of lever e in contact with the staple f. On release of knob c the spring-fulcrum b throws lever 0 up against the screw g. By adjustment of screw 9 the length of stroke is regulated.

This construction gives a very sensitive action, while the slight pressure required to move the key is sufficient to produce a sharp sound.

It will be seen that the power of spring 12 diminishes as the finger-lever c is pressed down and the knifeedges come nearer to a horizontal plane, so that any pressure sufficient to start the lever downward will carry it down with increasing speed to strike the blow. On return the power of spring 1) increases as the lever rises, so that sufficient force is accumulated for the blow. This peculiar action renders it impossible for the operator to stop the sounding-lever between its contact-points and insures a blow at every movement.

If desired, the post d may be the spring and post I) rigid.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The mechanical sounder consisting of the finger-lever 0, hung on post b, the soundinglever e, sustained between post (1 and a projection from lever c, and the posts I) 01, one of which acts as a spring, all combined together 1 fixed supports being arranged to impart spring with a base and suitable contact-points, substantially as described and shown.

2. In mechanical sounders, the combination 5 with the swinging finger-lever c, of the sounding-lever e, hung by knifeedges between a fixed post and a projection from lever 0, the

tension, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

JOHN BENJ. CLOPTON. Witnesses:

SAM. SHEAHY, J. O. FANOETTE. 

